The alluring arrangement of the Three Powers Square

monument

A unique architectural jewel, signed by Oscar Niemeyer, which symbolically depicts the separation of powers.

If the outline for Brasília, designed by urban planner Lúcio Costa, looks like a bird, the Three Powers Square at the western tip of the Eixo Monumental, the widest avenue in the world for Brazilians, represents its head. (Since 250 metres do indeed separate the two six-lane avenues, which cut the city into two symmetrical parts, some argue that it is not the widest in the world).

To the north, the executive power symbolised by the Planalto Palace; to the south, facing it, the Federal Supreme Court; between the two, due west, is the National Congress, half-buried on the central part of the Eixo Monumental, with its two hemicycles surmounted with cupolas: concave for the Chamber of Deputies and convex for the Senate. Twin 28-storey towers house the administration offices, which have the best views of the Esplanade of the Ministries, and a view of the bus station, the very centre of the city.

On the esplanade, you will also see the City Museum, recognisable by its raised gallery, the Lúcio Costa Centre (1992),an underground museum honouring the town planner, and a dovecote. Most of these buildings are the work of Oscar Niemeyer, enlivened by statues signed by Bruno Giorgi and Alfredo Ceschiatti.